


Souvenirs

by BerryPicker



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Danvers Sisters, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2021-02-13 15:58:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21496711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BerryPicker/pseuds/BerryPicker
Summary: Our favourite sisters have an amazing bond that stretches through time, space and dimensions.
Relationships: Alex Danvers & Kara Danvers
Comments: 1
Kudos: 19





	Souvenirs

**Author's Note:**

> The characters and situations are not entirely my own, I am just borrowing them for a little bit and then will put them back where I found them, unharmed.

Alex is alone in her personal quarters, which she finds barren and futuristic. It was the best they could do as their space is quite limited, especially for unexpected guests. She had no personal effects to display, just a few token items from a guilty Kara – and none that are really meaningful. It has been close to a month by this point - she is long overdue and her sense of adventure has waned. Alex realizes that what she is experiencing is not so much homesickness, but rather boredom and an increasing sense of restlessness.

She had been incredibly excited to come and was teased for it. She was quite honored at first to be allowed to stay, but this all changed as her devotion to Kara soon proved unnecessary. Kara didn’t need her and Alex was not a frightened, traumatized child who needed to be taken care of either. Alex was not trapped _per se,_ but to leave would be inconvenient. Alex plucked at her tunic – chosen by Kara and now worn out of obligation. She had preferred black but was laughed at when she asked so she just accepted the bright red one with a false display of gratitude.

She was by now quite anxious to leave and had spent the past few days coming up with plausible methods that she would run past Kara when they saw each other later that evening. She would ask about the possibility of her leaving and then coming back for Kara at a predetermined time, she could thumb a ride home, get dropped off by Kara even. She would ask again if they were _sure_ they could not get a signal out.

Alex spent her days doing research which was made difficult as everything was in kryptonian. She was able to translate it slowly (Kara had helped at first) but was not a strong typist and it was slow going. She looked up what they knew about Earth and was impressed by how much knowledge they had amassed. Sometimes out of boredom she would look up pop culture events and change some details or correct some facts. At least her kryptonian was improving.

Kara had made a big fuss over Alex in the beginning, but over time seemed to find her lacking in intelligence and experience. She even seemed to grow embarrassed of Alex. Comments from her peers about “if this one of their best specimens, then it does not bode well for Earth’s survival” did not help matters.

Alex was since just usually left alone in the archives with a small group of locals who largely ignored her. She had the occasional argument with them about science and math, but never seemed to win any. She wondered if these were kryptonian version of nerds. She had tried to learn about biodiversity and found it fascinating what they knew about planets. As in, multiple planets, not just the ones she had done science fair projects on. Alex was horribly disappointed that she was unable to copy any of her newfound knowledge as their systems were simply too advanced to be useful back on Earth, and the storage devices they helpfully provided were not as “universal” as they claimed. All she could do was read and reread the information and hope to retain it. It reminded her of the old days when she would cram for finals.

Time spent away from the archives she wandered, although there was little to explore due to the condensed area and economy of scale. The buildings had all been re-purposed and the city was the only thing that had survived – there were no wild spaces or tar pits or anything for her to “discover”. Kara had come along in the beginning, but stopped after her initial enthusiasm faded. There was little of interest to see. Alex turned her attention to the seed bank and stored embryos (which were also a form of seed bank, technically speaking).

She was exposed to many new foods – Kara was excited about this but Alex much less so. She missed earth food and was teased for not being a foodie or even worse, was labelled ’picky’. Their dinner dates soon disappeared completely as there were limited places to eat. It was not the cosmopolitan center she had been lead to believe. Evenings spent at Alura’s always felt like an obligation – for all of them. Over time they became less enjoyable as the uneasiness between everyone grew. Alura tolerated Alex. She was initially anxious around her and then just never seemed to warm up. Making things worse was Alex’s habit of misreading various social cues. “The problem is with _you _“ Kara had insisted, “you are always asking probing questions and want to talk about things that she doesn’t want to hear!” The biggest faux pas was her enthusiastic attempts to debate nature versus nurture when it came to Kara`s dual upbringing, yet any mention of Eliza simply increased the tension amongst everyone. She eventually dropped the subject, much to Kara’s visible relief.

Her attempts to tell cute or funny stories also fell flat and made Kara obviously uncomfortable. The only safe topic seemed to be talking about Kara’s superiority on Earth, and the irony was not lost on Alex in this reversal of their fortunes. The red sun and no available sources of Vitamin D meant that Kara was average, while Alex was _still_ weaker than her. Alex discretely searched the archives to find a planet where this would be the reverse.

It was clear that Alura was unimpressed with her table manners and Kara went from helpful to exasperated in short time. The utensils are not at all what she is used to and the primary instrument for eating is some kind of metallic tube straw that is a combination of single chop stick and lab instrument. Alex never quite gets the hang of it and Kara tries desperately to teach her and help her eat. It goes from comical to embarrassing and the strain on Kara is apparent. They resort to providing her with small versions of medical forceps and clamps which prove equally difficult to use gracefully. Her ego bruised, Alex overcompensates with stories about how when Kara had first arrived they wound up just letting her eat everything with her hands as she struggled to adapt to earth utensils. Kara looked horrified and waved her off before she can tell any similar stories. Alex quickly ends the tale and pats Kara’s knee under the table. “Well, we survived that didn’t we?” Kara smiles tightly at her, then looks concernedly at Alura who is fixated on her own plate. The conversation does not recover and Alex stops being invited over to share meals.

Initially she had been Kara’s constant companion and then was transitioned to her own space and her own pursuits. She had welcomed it at first but is now consumed by her sense of loneliness, or dare she say, _alienation_. She had happily moved out to allow Kara the time and space to bond and reconnect with her mother, although they seemed to spend the majority of their time discussing Council activities as opposed to anything more meaningful. Kara was displeased when Alex pointed this out to her, so she simply dropped it. Alex was free to explore, do research, and make friends, none of which was fulfilling or even practical. As she struggled to learn how to function in this new environment she was constantly reminded of how awful she had treated Kara those early days on earth. She accepted her current loneliness and boredom as a kind of atonement. She was tolerated due to the orders issued by Alura to see to her needs, and Alex was puzzled by everyone’s lack of curiosity about this human in their midst.

The Kryptonian superiority was constantly on display, and Alex marveled at their vast knowledge of Earth. They had a plausible explanation for the Seven Wonders of the World which depressed Alex by their banality. She learned about other events that had formed the basis of the Greek myths, the Titans, the creation of the pyramids, various bible stories and even the Illuminati. Not for the first time she wished Winn had come along so they could validate his numerous conspiracy theories. She then wondered if Kara had known all of this information the whole time and had simply remained quiet about it. Alex suddenly felt quite foolish at this realization, and then more familiar guilt that Kara had struggled so hard to fit in and downplayed her superior knowledge and intellect while everyone around her encouraged her to do so. 

Instead of discussing this with Kara and making amends, Alex found herself arguing relentlessly with her sister regarding all the elitism and xenophobia she was uncovering. This was a planet of supermodels with high intellects and Alex felt horribly out of place and resentful. Kara was offended at what she viewed as personal attacks and angrily retorted that Earth was no better and Alex was a hypocrite. Alex was stunned at this reaction, as she had intended to ingratiate herself with Kara while seeking sympathy for herself. She had a growing awareness that Kara was behaving differently since arriving. She dropped the subject immediately, noting that Kara had not raised her voice like that in a very long time.

Still, Alex continued to try and find neutral ways to both spend time with Kara and stay entertained. Movie night was a lecture series on pollination. She found no sources of junk food, alcohol or caffeine (“_no need!” Kara had cheerful beamed_). Kara’s utopia was Alex’s version of hell. She was tired of being asked constantly about her short hair. It had grown out a little since arriving but only enough to be a nuisance. She grew agitated and short tempered (more than usual). She tried Kara’s advice and went to their version of a wellness spa and meditated. She was horribly bored by that experience.

Kara had recently rebuked another “no really, how are you?” query from Alex with a statement that she would not be available to see much of Alex in the next few days. Alura had tasked Kara to testify in front of the High Council and she needed time to do research and some other preparation. Alex had considered offering her assistance but then reconsidered, it was clear that her presence was not being requested. Kara would also be meeting with the council members afterwards in what Alex presumed to be some strange social ritual. She presumed she was welcome at any of those, either.

Alex tries to find something positive about this experience as she knows that one way or another it will end. She remembers fondly the time that Kara had hosted Alex for tea, made from the Dar-essa flower. It was mild and tasteless. Alex was underwhelmed but Kara was especially nostalgic so Alex held her tongue. It occurred to Alex that she might be getting punk’d to make up for the relentless teasing she was responsible for when they were younger. Alex smiles at the thought of this gentle ruthlessness of Kara when Kara asks “what?” Not wanting to ruin the moment Alex responds with “this is nice.” “The tea?” “No, _this_” she waves inclusively. “We should do this more often.” Kara smiles back. They never do, though.

Alex was still preparing ways to broach the topic of her departure when her communicator device went off. Alex apologized that she had lost track of time trying to prove whether it was a meteorite that killed the dinosaurs or a visiting team of Kryptonians. Kara (who was fascinated with anything dinosaur related) did not laugh at the teasing and responded instead to Alex’s lie that she was in fact “on her way” with a nervous ”um, yeah…I have something to tell you…..” Alex’s heart sank immediately. “Kar?” she gently asked. “It`s just that…..uh…“ “Kara? What’s wrong?” Alex gently tried again. “Well, Alura was asking if we could be alone tonight…she wanted me to uninvite you.” “Oh. Okay, sure.” Alex reassured her though a cold pang of jealousy mixed with unease shot through her. “She wants to discuss something important.” “Great. Well, have a good time” Alex ended with forced enthusiasm. Something was clearly “up” and she did not like it. Maybe there were plans for Kara to conceive a baby as she had learned all about in her visits to the frozen embryo facility. Maybe she was being set up on a blind date chosen carefully by high-standard Alura. Maybe they were going to discuss their plans to get rid of Alex. “Call me” Alex quietly implored.

Alex had grown to appreciate Eliza now more than ever. Alex had always thought that the hologram of Kara’s mother had been stilted and cold because it was a _hologram. _She had never mentioned this to Kara as it had never occurred to her that this might have been an authentic depiction of the woman. No wonder she wanted a hug from it.

Eliza had welcomed this strange child into her family and made her the center of everything. Alex knew how much Eliza had taken on and what it cost. Alura, on the other hand, still favored Kara and was aloof towards Alex. “My mother likes you” Kara had defended. “She tolerates me.” Alex corrected. Alex had tried and failed to probe how things were going between Kara and Alura. They did not seem to be growing any closer, nor having any real emotional discussions, nor making plans for a reclaimed future together. Alex had noted how distant and formal Alura remained around them both. How odd she found it that Alura seemed neither shocked nor overjoyed at Kara’s return as the prodigal daughter. She was very clinical and terse in any of her explanations for what happened in Argo’s final days. What was worse is that Kara was growing to be more like her. Alex finally appreciated what it meant to be human when she saw Kara shed her humanity like an unwanted skin.

Their arguments increased in frequency and passion and Alex feared truly losing Kara this time. Some were petty and small yet others were layered with years of built up resentment and unresolved grievances between the sisters. One especially hostile fight began when Kara lashed out at Alex while she was bemoaning how everyone seemed to be rubbing their superiority in her face. “Stop referring to us as aliens! We are kryptonians, you are the alien here. You are the _other._” “You know; you have been behaving very ‘Kryptonian First’ for awhile now. It’s a bit much.” Alex spat out. “What do you mean?” Kara retorted. “Well there’s _none more Scot than the Scot abroad_ my dad used to say – our dad, sorry.” Kara says nothing. “So will you _protect_ me then? Help me adjust?” Alex tries to sound humble but the implication is not lost on Kara, who isn’t doing being angry with Alex. “Yes, but you don’t _need_ it” she answers. “No one here is going to vivisect you or run experiments on you, unlike on _your_ planet.” “Our planet.” Kara huffs at that. “We aren’t as barbaric or cruel as earthlings.” “I found some stuff in your archives that says otherwise. I guess I forgot how _superior_ you all are. It must be a relief for you to finally be among equally perfect beings all day. How _nice_ for you!” “Oh stop, the last thing I need right now is to feel pity for you. I never realized how xenophobic and elitist you really are. You are so jealous, you forget that you wanted to come!” “To help you!” “_Kryztaya_!” Alex stood blinking. “It means _bullshit._ Not literally, we don’t have bulls and the use of _shit _to describe something unbelievable isn’t really done here…..” “I didn’t think so!” huffs Alex. “It’s more an expression of severe disbelief when a fool is making up facts to sway an argument.” “Well, thank you Professor Kara.” “You used to collect swear words in different languages, remember?” Kara smiles a little. Alex smiles too, remembering how scandalized Kara had been about that at first. “Say it again? Slowly.” Kara does. Alex repeats it. Holds it on her tongue a moment before committing to memory along with other random kryptonian facts. Kara gently corrects her pronunciation then praises her when it improves. “You kiss your mothers with that mouth?” Kara smiles gently and looks a little sad. “It’s your bad influence” she replies.

Alex is not alone in her personal quarters, packing but there is really nothing to take. Kara is anxious and upset so Alex hurries into her tactical gear which includes strapping on her sidearm. She folds the tunic neatly and Kara barks at her to just leave it. “But you gave it to me” Alex reminds softly. “It’s not real none of this is real it’s all fake lets just go!” Alex senses Kara’s growing panic so she just leaves it behind. She glances around the room at the knickknacks and robes and decides to abandon it all. She then heads off quickly with Kara back to J’onn’s parked ship. “I’ll drive” she teases but Kara only nods in agreement, still apparently in shock.

The flight home is awkward and tense with Kara still very upset. She is withdrawn and Alex worries that she will break down in the confined space on the long journey “home”.

Alex is piloting while Kara sits dejectedly in the seat next to her. Alex tries to fill the awkward silence with questions about various space phenomenon they witness but Kara just answers dully and does not hold up her end of the conversation. When Alex mentions for umpteenth time how much she loves being in space Kara flatly responds that she has grown to hate it. Alex then turns her attention to inside the ship. “What inferior craft is this anyways… no tissue box, no cup holders, and no Sirius radio? We should talk to J’onn about this seat upholstery when we get back. He is never letting us use it again you realize.”

Kara doesn’t respond so Alex decides to just keep entertaining herself. “I love flying. I’m getting good at it.” Kara continues to just stare out the front shield. “You realize that the autopilot is doing everything.” she mumbles. “Get off my cloud! Let me enjoy this.” Alex is relieved that Kara is finally responsive. “I’m a better pilot than you anyways.” “Hardly!” Kara perks up a little. “I’ve piloted way more than you!” “And got hopelessly, tragically lost” Alex replies with false sympathy. “I wasn’t _lost” _Kara retorts. “Just really, really late.” Alex laughs quietly at that. “And you can only crash land...” Alex responds. “That was the autopilots fault!” “Oh, how _convenient_, blame the autopilot!” Alex laughs harder as Kara grows more flustered. Kara is sitting upright now and has turned to look at Alex when she smugly spits out “Well, you forgot the time I had to be your life sized emergency brake when that ship you were on almost hyper jumped.” “Okay, _that_ was the autopilot.” Alex condescendingly corrects her. She is rewarded with the quietest hum of laughter.

Alex takes a moment to reach across the console and gently squeeze Kara’s forearm. “I’m picking the next planet we visit” she announces with authority. Kara just looks on in bewildered awe. “One where I finally get to feel superior.” Kara takes the bait. “Where short haired brunettes are worshiped? Who eat with their hands? Can’t solve equations in their heads? Where folks can hold their liquor?” The sass is an improvement and a good sign that Kara’s mood is improving. “Just one that is Vitamin D rich”. Kara smiles at that.

It was the meeting that Alura had uninvited Alex to that had shaken Kara so badly. It was a miracle that Argo City had survived. It just wasn’t Kara’s miracle. Alura finally revealed that the Krypton that the surviving chunk of Argo city was from was not Kara`s Krypton. It was from a different dimension, and although it had floated close enough to be reached by Earth 38, it was not in fact from the Earth 38 version of the universe. The odds of this were staggering, but Alex compared these odds to the idea that Kara`s mother had survived and was not sure what was more incredulous. She said little when Kara told her, just calmly agreed to Kara`s demand to leave immediately. Alex had wanted to feel furious with Other Alura but was still trying to wrap her head around the whole situation. Alura had not had a daughter, although her Krypton had exploded as well. There were other truths in Alura`s version, the only lie seemed to be the fact that Kara was not their Last Daughter. They hadn't told Kara any of this as they worked to validate her story (which seemed equally implausible on their end). Alura played along to keep Kara invested and close by. In the end they had told her the truth and agreed to share their Harun-el in exchange for Kara agreeing to be an intergalactic or inter-dimensional liaison. Alex had thought it was not a terrible idea but did not say anything in light of Kara`s reaction to learning the truth. This was worse than the black mercy. This was losing then finding then losing again the only thing your heart desired. Alura had inquired about Kara`s willingness to donate to their stored embryo collection to help strengthen their dwindling gene pool, which was in the end the defining moment for Kara to break out of this fantasy life and return with Alex to the stability of her adopted home on Earth.

Kara has brought with her a small sack, like everything on Argo it was up-cycled and re-purposed from what had survived the planet’s destruction. Kara fiddles with the drawstring, lost in thought. “What did you grab?” Alex is curious. “Is it a baby?” Embarrassed, Kara pulls out an image of Kara and Alex wearing their traditional garb. It is a candid moment and Alex does not remember posing for it. “It was going to be a gift. For you.” She says shyly. “And I grabbed a Dar-essa blossom from my mom’s…_her .._.house. I haven’t seen one in fourteen yrs. It probably is not exact but I still like the memory of it.” Alex concurred that scent memory is very powerful. “And… a vacuum straw.” Alex sighs loudly. “I need to see you use this some more.” Alex face palms. “I never get tired of it”. Alex is annoyed but pleased to see Kara’s grin. “It would make a good weapon.” Alex concedes. “I can’t believe you made me drink that awful tea”. She continues. “What do you mean?” Kara asks slightly affronted. “It didn’t taste like anything. It was just….some leaves floating in hot water…” “That’s _literally _what tea is!” Kara shot back indignantly. 

Alex looks at the image of them now on the instrument panel. She traces the image of herself in the ridiculous red tunic. “You made me wear this on purpose”. “I just wanted you to _blend_” Kara says innocently. Helping someone _blend_ was a concept Alex had used for years while controlling how Kara dressed and spoke, as well as her tastes in virtually everything. This had caused great tension between the two over the years, especially on those occasions when Alex had intentionally allowed her to look foolish or less attractive than necessary. It was a passive aggressive way of dealing with her resentment over Kara’s eternal presence in all aspects of Alex’s life. Kara laughs lightly. “I just wanted you to appreciate the modesty and freedom of movement a monochromatic pantsuit provides”. Alex laughs, glad that they could still tease and argue like this. There didn’t seem to be any permanent damage done on this trip. “You realize that somewhere out there is an alternate version of Eliza.” Kara makes an agreeing noise. “She probably likes you best, too”. Kara snorts and then the mood turns serious again.

“I`m sorry you didn’t get more time…I didn’t really let you grab anything you might have wanted.” “The only souvenir I need is you.” Alex assures her. Kara is crying again. Alex reaches across the console to squeeze her shoulder and then leaves her hand there. Inside the cargo pockets on her pants are one small jar of space dirt (meant for Winn) and one package from the seed bank – the Dar-essa plant that Kara’s blossom grew on.

**Author's Note:**

> You can tell I don't pay enough attention to basic plot points of the show.


End file.
